The Secret Life Of Effie Trinket
by Wesfanemt333
Summary: Effie has many secrets. People think they know her, but they will be surprised. Rating will be M in future chapters. Obviously, I'm not Suzanne Collins, and I own nada.
1. Chapter 1

When the sixty-fourth Hunger Games started, there were three facts about Effie Trinket that only one person in district twelve knew; She was eighteen, she was terrified, and she did NOT want to do this. She had forced a cheerful smile on her face, and was only able to not tremble by sheer willpower. She had to do this. With a peppy,

"Ladies first!", she dug her hands into the first reaping bowl, and dug out one slip, she unfolded it, to announce the female tribute for this year's game, "Alisha Crane!" Her eyes dart over the crowd looking for the "lucky" girl. To her horror, a slight girl, who appeared to be twelve, started to make her way to the stage. Effie was barely able to cover her shock, how could she have drawn a child that young? It was a struggle to keep her composure, but she managed, somehow, to keep the bright smile on her face. She wouldn't, couldn't do otherwise.

"And now for our gentleman, Thomas Kryell!" She watched as a young man, around fourteen came to the stage slowly. "Let's give a hand for your tributes! Happy Hunger Games, and May the odds be ever in your favor!" Then she led the children, like lambs to the slaughter, towards the rooms they would use to make their final goodbyes. It was then that she was certain that she hated this job.

One hour later, it was time to leave. They were waiting on the district mentor, Haymitch Abernathy, victor of the fiftieth Hunger Games. It was imperative that the train leave on time, there was a schedule to keep. The capitol or President Snow rather, had designed it. Failure to be timely would result in consequences. Effie left the train, to drag the man onto it, unconscious if need be. She needn't have worried, as she was about to step off the train to find him, Haymitch stumbled on board, soused and reeking of some alcohol.

She'd been warned about this. The previous escort for twelve had told her all about the lout. He was always drunk and of no help, kept the Avoxes busy cleaning up after him. She glared at him, and then turned on the bright smile for Alisha and Thomas,

"That's everyone! Dinner will be served in half an hour." She made her way to her quarters, where she could at least stop smiling like a demented clown. She needed a break, a little downtime, before resuming the masquerade.

Not soon enough, the night came, and she was able to finally take off all the standard capitol dress and the awful wig. Effie hated wearing it, wanting to let her blonde curls down freely, but she understood it would not be tolerated. And she wouldn't be the one punished for it. That was enough to keep her cooperating. She laid in the bed, comfortable in body, but utterly wrecked in spirit. Those poor children, taken away from their families. And she was a part of it, however unwillingly. Silent tears came down her cheeks. She didn't dare sob out loud, not wanting anyone to overhear her.

Unfortunately, no one had warned Haymitch about this. Her door was flung open, and he was even more drunk than before they'd left district twelve. He staggered to the bed and flung himself on it, headless of the crying woman laying on it.

"Mr. Abernathy! You are in the wrong room and I suggest you leave now!" Her voice threatened to quiver in the middle of her sentence and the man looked at her in shock.

"Who the hell are you? Where's Trixie, with that wig and makeup?" His words were slurred.

"My name is Effie Trinket, not Trixie." Effie's indignation was great enough to make her stop crying and sit up. "You are not welcome in my room." Haymitch's mental processes were not at top capacity, but after ten years of being in a near stupor from alcohol, he'd adjusted enough to realize something was wrong. The new "Capitol Bitch" as he'd named her in his head, had obviously been crying. Being the totally sensitive, caring guy, he of course asked,

"Fuck's wrong with you?" He laid his head back on the bed. Effie sighed obviously; the man had no manners or any clue at all as to how things were. Stupid drunk fool. She rustled around her nightstand, writing quietly. She handed him the note, while saying,

"As if I'm going to tell you all my troubles. Get out of my room, now, you drunken oaf, before you ruin my carpet." Haymitch read the note, which simply read,

"_Do not read this out loud, my room, and most others on the train are bugged. Meet me in the kitchen in ten minutes, if you can find your way there without passing out." _He passed the note back, nodding his agreement even as he said,

"Fine, don't talk to me about whatever your lousy boyfriend did. Not even that interested." Haymitch left the room, heading for the kitchen slowly. Walking on a train while drunk took concentration and helped clear his head.

Haymitch grabbed a few slices of bread, trying to get rid of some of the alcohol in his system, sober up a little. When Effie walked in a few minutes later, she headed for the coffee. She hadn't bothered to put on her makeup, or that ridiculous wig. She poured them both a cup, leaning against one of the counters.

"No bugs in here?" Haymitch asked her quietly. Effie shook her head.

"No, the steam and heat make it impossible. Same with all the bathrooms, they can't listen. As long as we aren't too loud, the capitol can't hear us." She closed her eyes briefly before asking him, "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Wouldn't be in here if I didn't. Bar still has plenty of liquor." So, Effie told him. The whole story came spilling out. How her mother had died when she was two, and how much her father loved her, his only child. He'd never remarried, raising Effie by himself. How much Athius Trinket loathed the Hunger Games. And how he'd had too much to drink at a party when Effie was twelve, speaking out against the cruelty of the games, not heeding how the wrong ears might be listening.

The next day, the peacekeepers had broken down their door and Athius had been dragged out. Her raw terror and then being sent to live at her aunt's house. Effie still had nightmares about that. How when she'd turned eighteen, she'd been grabbed by peacekeepers on her way home from school and shoved into a white van that stank of roses. They'd blindfolded her, and when it was removed, she was facing President Snow.

How badly her knees had shook, facing the leader of Panem. He'd explained to her how her father was in prison, had been since that awful day when she was younger. He'd showed her a live video feed from her father's cell. And then, he'd given her the ultimatum; work as an escort and show the nation how enthusiastically she supported the Hunger Games, or Athius would be executed.

"What could I have done? And now, I'm trapped, forced into this role, to lead children to their deaths." Effie couldn't go on, even if she'd wanted to, the tears clogging her voice, threatening to choke her.

Of every story Haymitch had suspected, this had definitely had not been a possibility. He knew that Snow was an evil bastard. Had known for years, since his family, along with his girl had been killed. The alcohol was how he dealt with it; unfortunately, it only dimmed the pain and nightmares. The buzz he'd been feeling was long gone, leaving him feeling empathy for the woman standing beside him. For the first time in years, since his family had been murdered, he did something impulsive. He pulled Effie into a hug,

"I'm so sorry." Effie all but collapsed in his arms sobbing quietly. The last man to hug her was her father, the night before he disappeared into that capitol prison. Her aunt had been kind and loving, but it wasn't the same. It took several minutes for Effie to regain her composure, and Haymitch waited patiently. When she had stopped crying entirely, he patted her back a little and stepped back. He looked into her eyes, red and puffy from her tears.

"I'll help you get through this." He told her quietly, and then they both headed back to their separate rooms, neither one looking forward to the next weeks. Haymitch, because he knew both kids had such slim chances of winning, Effie, knowing in her heart there was nothing she could do to stop Alisha and Thomas from dying gruesomely in the arena.


	2. Chapter 2

Yeah, this chapter got a lot darker than I was planning. If you are squeamish or have trigger issues, my feeling will not be hurt if you skip this chapter. There are mentions of noncon/rape and abortion. It's also quite a bit longer than the first one. I blame the plot bunnies. Seriously.

Anyway, for any readers still with me, I hope you enjoy it and I'd love some feedback. :)

And I don't own the Hunger Games or the Princess Bride.

Night fall on the penthouse floor during the sixty-seventh Hunger Games, and it was silent. Haymitch was grimly watching the television; this was the first games in years that his tributes had lasted past sundown. Effie was curled up on the other side of the couch, sleeping. She'd tried to stay awake, but couldn't. He'd promised to wake her if anything happened. There were two Avoxes around somewhere, probably asleep as well. Haymitch didn't sleep well most nights; the nightmares were enough to keep him awake. And since he'd promised Effie to help three years ago, he wasn't drinking as much. Definitely not enough to let him pass out. So he watched and waited.

Over the past few years, Effie and Haymitch had become closer. They weren't together, in any romantic sense, but they were comfortable around each other, friends even. When they were out in public, they were both very careful to keep their masks on. They sniped at each other, and he drank. The public had no clue that most of the time; the liquor was really watered down. If Haymitch stopped drinking altogether, people would notice. And they didn't want that.

This year though, Effie was different. There wasn't anything Haymitch could put his finger on, but something was off. She was a bit distant and startled really easily. She had nearly screeched at him for scaring her on the train. It was odd, and he had a gut feeling something was wrong. They hadn't talked about whatever it was yet. But he was sure they were going to, eventually.

Haymitch looked over at Effie, a smirk on his face. He'd never tell her, but she snored. Not a quiet, lady like sound at all. Then, back at the television, where nothing interesting was about to happen. He was bored.

That changed in a heartbeat when Effie started to whimper, quietly at first, but growing louder. Haymitch looked over at her; her eyes were still closed tight, so she was obviously having a nightmare. A bad one by the sound. It took him a few seconds to react, leaning over to gently shake her,

"Trinket, hey, Effie. It's a bad dream, wake up!" She cried out, mostly incoherently, but Haymitch picked out a few words.

"No. . .Please stop . . . hurts." What the hell? Effie's blue eyes opened suddenly, and she shrank back against the couch. She was shaking from head to toe, obviously still terrified of whatever she'd dreamed about. She was backing as far from him as the back of the couch would allow. Her eyes were glazed over, the pupils huge with fear.

Haymitch was not a stupid man, by any means. It didn't take a rocket scientist to put the pieces together. An avox came into the room. Haymitch turned his attention to the server,

"Tea. Quickly." Then he turned his attention back to Effie, the games forgotten for now. She was trembling, trying to get away from whatever nightmare she was still trapped in. He stayed where he was, not wanting to spook her any further. He lowered his voice, talking softly,

"Effie? Come on, you're safe now. It's me, Haymitch." As he talked, Effie started to calm down, allowing him to move a little closer. He took it slowly, easing his way over to her. She was still shaking, but her breathing was starting to even out. She looked at him, as if she just now realized who he was,

"Haymitch?" He nodded, reaching out slowly to touch her shoulder. This time, she didn't flinch away. He took that as a good sign, and moved a little closer. He saw the avox carrying a tray out of the corner of his eye. The mute girl set it down close by and Haymitch was pleasantly surprised by the small bottle of brandy on the tray. He waved her off, and she left the room. He poured the tea into a cup, adding a splash of the alcohol to it.

Once Effie's hands were steady enough, Haymitch gave her the cup.

"Drink it, it'll help." Effie nodded, her throat dry, still shaken up after the dream. After she'd drank half of the cup, he asked,

"What were you dreaming about?" Haymitch had been awake a few times when she'd had nightmares about her dad being taken away. This one was different; she usually woke up, a little startled and a little teary eyed, but nothing like this. Effie closed her eyes for a second, and took another sip of tea before she answered him.

"It happened the night before I left for the reaping this year. You know all the annual games parties? I have to be there for the big capitol one. I only had one drink, but I set it down for a few minutes. It really hit me hard, and I got dizzy. Then I woke up on a bed naked and there was a man." She stopped suddenly, and started to shake again. Haymitch's eyes grew wide as he realized what Effie was saying.

"He raped you, didn't he?" It wasn't a question, but she nodded, confirming what he'd figured out. Haymitch was furious, but he kept his tone gentle, not wanting to scare Effie. He touched her back lightly, to reassure her and she winced. "Did he do something else?" She nodded again,

"He didn't like it when I screamed and told him to stop." She wanted to say more, but stopped, taking a few deep breaths. She was scared, and she remembered another fact, "He didn't use any protection." She couldn't look at Haymitch anymore, and buried her face in her hands.

For his part, Haymitch was having difficulty remembering a time when he'd wanted to kill another man. Except for President Snow, but that was pretty constant. This rage washed over him, as he kept himself from yelling and throwing things like he really wanted to do. But that would not help either of them, unfortunately. So, he started to think, this was not a normal situation for him. He gently put his hands on her small dainty ones and tried to peel them away from her face.

"Effie, look at me." She shook her head at first, but he was persistent. "Let me help you." Effie wanted to believe him. If she ended up pregnant, the outcome would not be good. She had a few female friends who'd gotten abortions, and the doctors had made a mess of things. One of them was unable to have children. Effie did want kids, eventually. But now, that child would end up as a hostage in Snow's hands. If he didn't force her to get an abortion. She wouldn't put it past him. She mentioned her fears to Haymitch, who understood them perfectly well. Hell, Snow already had one hostage, and the president had no problems with children dying.

"I know someone, back in district twelve. Her parents owned the apothecary in town, and she's been taking care of the people in my district for several years. If anyone knows what to do safely, it would be Lily Everdeen. If you find out that you're pregnant, that is. Give it about a month or so, and then come to the district. You can make up a story, pretend to be furious with me. Let's say I forgot some paperwork that you desperately need and it's somewhere buried in my 'filthy hovel'. You take the train out and we can go from there. No one else will need to find out otherwise."

For the first time in nearly two weeks, Effie felt a little better. She'd been on edge since the attack. The brandy was helping too, no doubt. They could work out more details later. She leaned towards Haymitch, who wrapped his arms around her, making sure to miss the sore spot on her back. She clung to him, holding on for dear life. They stayed that way for several minutes, before Haymitch pulled away,

"Let me see your back, Effie." She was reluctant, at first but Haymitch was persistent. She didn't want anyone to see the welt that bastard's belt had made. Eventually, she acquiesced, letting him see the ugly mark. It had faded some, but still painful and visible. He swore under his breath, not letting himself do any more than that. He rubbed her shoulder tenderly as he looked into her eyes. He was tired, but a long way from being able to sleep. Neither of them was going to be sleeping anytime soon. And watching the games wasn't anything either wanted.

Suddenly, Haymitch had an idea. He got up for a moment, and stretched. Reassuring Effie he'd be right back, he went into his room, rummaging around until he uncovered the one thing, aside from liquor, he brought with him whenever he traveled.

Effie didn't know what to think when Haymitch left the room briefly, returning with what looked like a book. A book that had seen better days tattered and well read from the look of it. He sat back down on the couch, explaining that this book had been in his family for years, being read to the children in the family whenever they were sick. It was one of the only things that the fire that killed his family did not completely destroy. He opened the book, and started to read aloud,

"Chapter one, the bride." Effie leaned against Haymitch, listening to the story. She stayed awake until he'd finished chapter three, soothed by the rough cadence of his voice and the steady throb of Haymitch's heartbeat. Then her eyelids closed, and she was asleep. Haymitch was tired enough that he drifted off on the couch; Effie still curled up against them.

What neither the escort, nor the mentor noticed was the Aula, their avox, listening along to the story. She'd never heard it either, but she was engrossed in the tale. She was also greatly saddened by Effie's story. Horrible things done to people were not new to her by any means, having your tongue ripped out for a, usually minor crime, is enough to make a person realize what a cruel place the capitol was. When Aula noticed the silence, she crept back to her quarters. Even if she could speak, she'd never say or write what she'd seen and heard here.

One month later, Effie Trinket arrived in District twelve, her stomach in knots. She'd taken a simple test, and it had been positive. She hadn't told anyone, not even her closest friends. Hell, she hadn't even said the reality of her situation out loud, for fear of word getting to the wrong person. She hated the thought of doing this, but she couldn't take the risk of falling in love with her baby, only to lose them to the cruelties of President Snow. If he even allowed the baby to be born. It would be better this way, safer. She'd only been able to see her father twice since she began being an escort. He'd looked so haggard and thin, the thought of her child suffering this way broke her heart, in a way she couldn't have anticipated.

Her musings were interrupted by Mayor Undersee, a very pleasant man.

"Miss Trinket, to what do we owe the pleasure?" He offered his hand for her to shake, courteous as always. She smiled at him, her bright and perky smile readily available and on display. Then she rolled her eyes and sighed in annoyance,

"That impossible mentor of yours, he's so aggravating to work with! He lost some very important information he promised to keep safe. So now, I have to go and dig through that filthy rat's nest he calls a home." The lies came easily, as did the mask. After the last few years of hiding how she felt about most things, especially the games, this was a cakewalk. Of course, what was going to come next, she was sure would not be easy or pleasant. The mayor nodded,

"Of course. If you need anything, Miss Trinket, please be sure to call." And then she was alone. It was a quiet afternoon; most of the people were busy with their business. Even if they thought it was odd to see the escort in the district on other days, she'd been there before, to "deal" with Haymitch Abernathy. She arrived at his house, starting to feel the nausea that had been off and on for the past week. She rang the bell and waited. The door jerked open, and a much disheveled looking Haymitch peered out,

"God, what now?" He sighed in fake annoyance. He knew why she was there, but appearances had to be kept up.

"Manners, Mr. Abernathy! If you had not lost those papers in this mess, I would not have to come and find them." Haymitch let her in, slamming the door behind Effie. When the door was closed, he dropped the charade, pulling her into a hug. His house was a bit cleaner now, since he'd known she might be coming. He took the small bag from her,

"I've set up one of the spare rooms, near mine." Effie looked grateful, "Do you want to rest for a bit before I go get Lily?" He asked her after he'd come down from the room.

"No, let's get this over with before I lose my nerve." Haymitch nodded, he could understand the value in that.

"I'll head out in a minute then. Come on upstairs and lay down, try to relax." He led her up to the small room, and headed for the Everdeen's. He was back in half an hour, with Lily following him. It was not uncommon for Lily to treat people in their own homes, it was a normal thing. He showed Lily up to his guest room, and after knocking softly entered slowly. Thankfully, his short trip had given Effie time to wash all the horrible make-up off her face and change into a robe, before removing the hideous wig. She said a quiet hello to Lily, as they had never met in person until now. Without the all the capitol garnishes, it was obvious she had not been sleeping well. Haymitch broke the awkward silence,

"Do you want to tell her, or should I?" He asked, sitting down in a chair pulled up by the bed. Effie shook her head; she had already told Haymitch and didn't feel up to telling the sordid tale again. "You might want to sit down, Lily." He warned her, taking Effie's hand to support her as he told what had happened at the party and the result. He explained why Effie needed Lily's help, how bad the abortion doctors were at the capitol.

Lily looked horrified at these new revelations. While life in the district was often hard, she'd never imagined things like that happening in the more "civilized" capitol. She expressed her sympathy and she mentally started thinking about the herbs and plants she'd need. Thankfully, they were all in good supply, nothing would need to be harvested. She had them back at the house; where Katniss was entertaining little Prim. Sensing both Effie and Haymitch's unease, she took charge; there were things that had to be done. She had Haymitch start boiling some water, while she went home to quickly grab what she'd need to get this ordeal over and done with. Effie was told to try and relax a little, if she could.

After what seemed like an eternity, the preparations were nearly ready. Lily had Effie lay down in the bed, and asked Haymitch to step outside so she could examine her new patient.

"No. Please stay." Effie asked him quietly. She was scared and while she had faith that Lily wouldn't harm her, it was still a relative stranger that was going to be touching her. Haymitch agreed and Lily didn't argue. As long as he was out of the way and quiet.

Lily's hands were gentle, but firm as she pressed on Effie's abdomen. She wasn't showing yet, but Lily knew enough to confirm that the young woman was pregnant. About seven weeks or so, from the feel of things. She spread out towels to hopefully minimize the mess.

"I'm going down to get the herbs, they should be ready now." In a few moments, she was back with a cup of something that smelled absolutely vile, along with a bowl. "Sometimes, this combination causes vomiting. It's not going to taste good, but it's best if done quickly." She handed the cup to Effie, who looked revolted, but determined and with her mind set she drank it down. She managed to not gag, as the foul stuff went down. Then there was nothing to do but wait.

Haymitch picked up the book from the small nightstand by the bed, and set the chair so he was facing Effie. He started to read to her, as Lily listened as well, going back to where they'd left off the last night in the penthouse. It didn't take too long for Effie to get back into the story, and for Lily to be fascinated by the side of Haymitch no one had ever seen before. He was very tender, and from what she could tell, completely sober. He stopped reading abruptly, when he got to the part with the sharks, saying to Effie what his father every time said to him and his brother,

"She doesn't get eaten by the sharks." Then he picked back up right where he'd left off, as he gave Effie's hand a quick squeeze. She gave him a small smile, and he continued reading, until she moaned as the cramps hit. He set the book down quickly, careful not to lose his place. He took both her hands in his, letting her use them to help with the pain. It was not a pleasant sensation, but he took it silently, knowing she had to be feeling worse.


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter took a while for me to finish, I actually scrapped my first attempt, but I'm pleased with how this one came out. As usual, I don't own any of the characters seen in this fic. And this turned out much less angsty than the previous chapter

Midnight on the train to the capitol, for yet another Hunger Games. The train was silent, with all but two of the passengers deep in the arms of Morpheus. Effie walked into the quiet kitchen, where she found Haymitch sitting, reading one of the capitol newspapers. He looked up at her, giving her a little smirk, as he set down the paper,

"So, how's Miss Euphemia Trinket doing tonight?" She flushed; she never went by her first name, ever. Had never even told Haymitch, despite his occasional pestering. She grabbed the paper and stifled a groan; it was from earlier in the week complete with a picture of her and Seneca Crane arm in arm. "And the boyfriend?" She shook her head,

"No, he's not really; it's not at all like that. Seneca and I have been friends since we were children. And our illustrious president informed Seneca that it was high time he was seen with a woman." Haymitch smiled, feeling greatly relieved despite his outward show of teasing Effie.

"So you two aren't 'the cutest couple'?" He quoted from the section of the paper, sounding amused. Effie smiled, fighting back the urge to giggle.

"No, and I don't see us becoming anything more than we are. It's strictly for appearances only." She thought for a few moments on how to best phrase the situation. "Seneca is . . . not attracted to me. In fact, he'd prefer you in his bed to me." Haymitch raised an eyebrow he hadn't heard that about Crane.

"If he hurts you . . ." He let his sentence trail off, not sure what exactly he was going to say. Effie just shook her head. Men. She knew Haymitch was overprotective, had been for the last few years. She grabbed his hand,

"He won't."

"And he won't get jealous if we do this?" Haymitch gently put his hand on her face, bringing her in close for a kiss. Effie responded eagerly deepening the kiss, they only had a few weeks a year, and it all had to be kept secret. While there was no law forbidding an escort and mentor from being together it was not looked upon with favor. And neither one of them wanted to risk the wrath of President Snow.

Haymitch pulled her closer to him, enjoying her being so close. He'd been waiting for this, the first chance to kiss her in far too long. He closed his eyes, trying to ignore the lizard part of his brain that wanted him to do something stupid and crazy right there in the kitchen. They hadn't had sex, yet. Effie hadn't been ready, after being raped, and Haymitch wasn't going to push her. When they finally pulled apart, both breathing hard, Haymitch smirked,

"Getting late and tomorrow's a big, big day." He gently mocked her capitol accent. "Goodnight, Euphemia." He was totally unsurprised when she smacked his shoulder in mock indignation.

"Don't call me that." And they went their separate ways, Effie to her room to sleep and Haymitch to his room, to take care of something or he wouldn't be able to sleep. His pants were starting to get just a bit uncomfortable.

The games are over for district twelve, for this year. Both of their young tributes died a few hours after the bloodbath at the Cornucopia. Haymitch stood up, turning off the television.

"That's enough of that." Neither one of them sees any need to keep watching. Until the closing ceremonies, they are not needed in public at all. He gave Effie his hand, pulling her to her feet. She was so light; it wasn't a strain to lift her. She put her arms around his neck, putting her head against his check. She shuddered,

"That was awful." Haymitch wrapped his arms around her small form, holding her as he nodded.

"I know." They hold hands as they walk towards Effie's bedroom, slowly. Haymitch is about to let go of her, until she asks, almost shyly,

"Stay with me? I . . . just don't want to be alone right now." He smiled at her,

"Sure. Maybe we'll both sleep better." She opened the door, and he followed, closing it behind them. Haymitch stripped down to his boxers, and she changed into a nightgown, while he had his back to her. They climbed into bed together, and she cuddled up to him, much like when they were on the sofa.

Sleep was slow to come, as both of them were fairly well wound up from watching the games. But it does, and it's some damn good sleep. Haymitch doesn't dream about the arena, and Effie dreams of happy times growing up with her father.

Morning dawns on the penthouse, and Haymitch wakes up first. He's a bit disoriented, waking up in a room that's most definitely not his. And as far as he can tell, Effie is out like a light when he realizes two things, he's curled up around her very closely and he has a raging hard on. It's nothing unusual, but really inconvenient right now. Hopefully she hasn't noticed.

Then, he feels her hips almost grind against his erection, and he fights back a groan. It's been years since he's been with anyone. Just then, Effie wakes up, a bit confused as to what's going on. Since neither of them was drunk last night, the confusion doesn't last long. Haymitch has no idea how she's going to take this, when she starts to giggle, and deliberately moving against him.

"Having a little problem there, Mitch?" She teased.

"Little?" He faked indignation, and then rubbed up against her. She rolled over, so that they were face to face and leaned up to kiss him. Haymitch wastes no time deepening the kiss, slipping his tongue in her mouth. He's surprised when Effie reaches down to remove his boxers. This is more than anything they've done in the past few years. "Are you sure about this?" He asked her calmly. She reaches over him silently, and pulls a wrapped condom out of the bedside table.

That was all the answer he needed.

For those interested in a more graphic depiction, I recommend my version of this story on AO3; the ratings are allowed to be a bit higher, so I'll go into more detail there. The link will be on my profile when it's up. I'll post that chapter when it's finished. Hope everyone enjoyed this next segment.


	4. Chapter 4

_And now, we're up to the Hunger Games, first book! Yay! I hope everyone enjoys this._

Shortly after the reaping for the seventy fourth games, Effie was behind the justice building, retching. The near miss of another twelve year old tribute was hitting her really hard. Haymitch came up to her, recovered from his "fall" from the stage. He put his hand on her back and rubbed it gently. No one would be coming around this way. They had about forty minutes before they needed to be on the train.

"Easy, Mia." He handed her his flask, filled with really watered down white liquor. "Rinse your mouth out." Effie followed his instructions, spitting out the liquid in disgust. She shuddered, as she moved closer to Haymitch,

"I hate this. Did you see, that little girl?" She couldn't continue. But Haymitch knew exactly what she meant.

"It's not your fault, Mia. You didn't choose this, any more than those kids did." Effie nodded, she understood that, but sometimes her heart insisted that it was all her fault. "And she won't be going to the games; her older sister is taking her place." Effie nodded again, she knew he was right.

"I almost lost it on the stage." Haymitch took her hand,

"But you didn't. And you won't have to do it for much longer." That was all Haymitch would say about the plans that were in motion, even now.

"Because of you, Mitch." It was true, his fall off the stage had given her time to recover her composure and get on with the ceremony. Then, the two tributes had gone to give their, more than likely, final goodbyes to their family and friends. For a little while, they could take their masks off and be themselves, before leaving for the capitol. Effie regained her composure, and leaned against Haymitch.

"You should head to the train; I'll stagger round for a little bit. Make sure you're annoyed with the drunken mentor." There was a smile on Haymitch's face as he said that, giving her a quick kiss before stumbling off.

Both of them were completely unaware they were being watched. Gale Hawthorne was waiting impatiently to say goodbye to Katniss, when he'd heard the fairly unmistakable sound of someone being sick. To say he was surprised would be a huge understatement. Not only was Effie Trinket, the capitol woman he and Katniss mocked in the woods was not the delusional bimbo they'd always thought she was and the fact that she was this upset about nearly having a twelve year old tribute. And that she didn't seem to enjoy her job at all. That she hated it, even.

All these years, Gale had thought she'd loved it. She was always so perky and happy. Add that to the fact that Haymitch was not drunk, at all. He'd seen the man stop his staggering as soon as he thought everyone was out of sight. The world as Gale knew it was shook up completely. He walked over to the door, not knowing if he should mention what he'd seen to anyone. He shook his head, mind made up. Who would he tell? And who the hell would believe him anyway?

After the lovely scene in the dining car, Effie found Peeta cleaning off Haymitch, who'd managed to cover his shirt and vest in vomit. She shooed the young man away, with a cheerful,

"It's not your job, go get some rest." Peeta left reluctantly. As soon as the bathroom doors closed behind their newest male tribute, Haymitch opened his eyes. Effie shook her head; he was a very convincing drunk.

"How on earth do you throw up on demand?" She asked, trying not to laugh. There were no bugs in the bathrooms, but she didn't want to be too loud. He gave her a smirk,

"It's a skill, sweetheart." As she helped rinse him off, she brought him up to speed on the important news from the capitol. Plans were being laid for next year, during the quell. And they had new additions to their side, Cinna, a stylist who volunteered to work for district twelve, and his girlfriend, Portia, whom Effie had gone to school with.

They got Haymitch all cleaned up, and into his bed. Effie walked towards the door, opened and closed it, and joined him. As long as they were quiet, no one would be the wiser. And as Effie was an early riser, it was all too easy to sneak out in the wee hours to get ready in her room. In the meantime, they were able to be close together and hold each other.

The train ride is more interesting that it's been in years. Both of the tributes, Peeta and Katniss have spirit. Haymitch is pleasantly surprised by this and even more surprised when the boy tells him of his feelings for Katniss. When Haymitch relays Peeta's feelings to Effie, the news is not a shock to her; she'd seen the way the young man looked at his fellow tribute.

All too soon, they have reached the capitol, and both Katniss and Peeta are swept away by their prep teams. Cinna claimed Katniss, and Portia declared she was looking forward to working with Peeta. This gave Effie and Haymitch time to find a place to talk. They went to lunch in a very crowded restaurant, so the chance they'd be overheard was slim to none.

"Heavensbee made contact with thirteen." Effie told Haymitch quietly. His eyes grew very big at the implications.

"Shit." She nodded. The plans were moving along.

"Seneca told me before I left." Their small group of rebels had people no one would expect. "But I'm worried about my father. I don't want anything to happen to him." That was one of her biggest fears, she wasn't afraid about her own life if they were caught. It was what they'd do to her dad that terrified her. Haymitch nodded, and wished he could hold her hand to show his support. But they were in public, so they had to keep up appearances.

"Yeah, Tigris said she's workin' on it. Did you get to see him?" Effie was only able to visit Athius every once in a great while. She shook her head; the last time had been two years ago. And Snow made sure she wore something 'befitting an escort of her station'. That had felt so awful, to pretend as if she enjoyed working at that job.

Their conversation stopped briefly, as their food arrived. They were able to enjoy a nice meal, with Haymitch pretending to drink too much. It was easy to reek of whiskey when he doused his clothes in the spirit before leaving the train.

Effie was a bundle of nerves as she and Haymitch waited for their tributes to return from their private sessions. Peeta seemed calm about his, but Katniss bolted straight to her room. This was not a good sign. She and Haymitch both tried to get Katniss to come out, but the girl wouldn't budge for a long while.

When Katniss finally rejoined them, thankfully before the scores were broadcast, she finally told them what she'd done. Effie's eyes went wide, and she spoke without thinking the first thought that came into her head. Immediately, she did damage control, hoping like hell Snow hadn't added bugs to the common areas.

They went in to see the scores, and have dinner. To everyone's surprise, Katniss had a brilliant score. Neither Effie nor Haymitch were as delighted as they pretended to be. They knew that the game makers had painted a target on Katniss's back. This was not good.

Later that night, when everyone, including Effie was asleep, her phone started buzzing. She woke up, confused and opened the video file she'd been sent. Her face, devoid of make-up, went white as she watched her phone in horror. She dropped her phone and ran to the bathroom, shaking and sobbing quietly. Naturally, the ruckus woke Haymitch up, and he grabbed the phone Effie'd left, watching the video that had made her so upset. It took him a few minutes after watching to realize what had Effie rattled; it was a video of Athius, her father, being brutally whipped for what Effie had said about the game makers doing their jobs. He walked into the bathroom to find her, crying hard.

Haymitch sat down next to her, the implications of this video not lost on either of them. The penthouse common room was bugged. Shit. At least they'd learned that without giving information about the rebellion. But that wasn't much comfort for either of them, knowing what Athius had suffered because of a moment's indiscretion. All Haymitch could really do was hold Effie, and let her know she wasn't alone.

_And here is where I leave it, for now. More to come, drop me a line, let me know how you like it. _


	5. Chapter 5

**And here we are with chapter five! This one took me a while to write, being busy with work and trying to plot my course, so to speak. Knowing where I want the story to go and getting it there are two very different things. **

**I also wanted to think my very lovely reviewers, who've stood by me. Thanks so much for your support. I'm glad people are reading this. Anyway, on with the story. Happy Reading!**

Effie was almost glued to the screen in the viewing room. Never had they had a pair of tributes like Katniss and Peeta. The past week had gone by in a flash, but now she and Haymitch were aware of the bugs in the penthouse, so they had gone back to sniping at each other. Then they'd write notes about what they were really thinking. Haymitch was working on sponsors, they were all so eager to support the gutsy young girl from twelve. It was almost too easy.

The announcement came unexpectedly, the booming voice of Claudius Templesmith, announcing for the first time, there could be two winners, if they were from the same district. Effie wanted to be excited, but she couldn't. It had to be a trick. She couldn't put any faith that they would keep their word. Haymitch met her eyes, and she could tell that he was thinking the exact same thing. But they couldn't talk about that now; she had to keep her mask on.

The viewing room was packed with sponsors, past victors and mentors from other districts. Finnick Odair came over to her, looking far too handsome for anyone's good. She knew about him, and what Snow made him do. Handsome victors were very expensive. People had been known to go into debt to afford a night with a winner of the games. Finnick leaned over to whisper in her ear, placing something in her hand.

"Keep the paper, but throw the hotel key card back in my hands. Then walk off in a huff, like I propositioned you." His instructions made since, as she knew what side he was on. She did exactly what he said, even as he winked at her. She made polite excuses, and headed to the ladies room, one room where there were no cameras. The note had an address in the capitol, and a time, presumably to meet. She memorized the information, and destroyed the note.

Effie walked back into the room, her eyes meeting Haymitch's briefly. There was no real good way for them to talk here. Too many ears, and they couldn't risk being overheard. The quarter quell was only a year away, and there was a hell of a lot to plan. Of course, having two game-makers on their side helped. She watched Katniss searching for Peeta, hoping she'd find him. A few hours later, Effie realized it was time to go. The viewing center had cleared out by a large margin.

"Haymitch put that drink down! We have new sponsors to meet." He rolled his eyes, setting down the glass. She led him out, with him making a big show of dragging his feet. They didn't need to go very far, the address was a house in the capitol, a rather expensive looking one. Haymitch knocked on the door, and they waited.

Finnick opened the door, and they stepped in quickly. He quickly explained that the house officially belonged to one of his paramours, a politician. The man kept it for trysts with Finnick. It was not bugged, so they could talk safely here. Most everyone was already comfortable in the living room, so Haymitch and Effie headed towards a couch. She took off her wig, thankful for the break. Unfortunately, she had to leave her make up on. She hadn't brought any with to replace it.

They sat together on the couch, closer than they could get away with in public. It was nice, being able to relax together. Even if it was just for a planning meeting. Heavensbee opened up, pointing out the crowds' love of the pair of star-crossed lovers from district twelve, and especially of Katniss. It was obvious to everyone in the room that Katniss could quite easily be the symbol of the rebellion. Chaff brought up the near riots when Rue had died in Katniss's arms. Granted, it hadn't been much, only a fair bit of property damage. But the point was, the people had stood up, and fought back. That in itself was a really good sign.

"But, we have to get them both out of the arena, alive." Haymitch pointed out the obvious. "If she dies, it's another dead tribute. And none of us trusts the new deal that they could both win." Effie squeezed his hand he'd said what she'd been thinking.

"Yes, that's a fairly good size issue there. But Katniss will find Peeta soon. Just get them to the final two, and Seneca and I will take it from there." Plutarch responded. There was one other issue that Effie was concerned about, her father. Finnick had connections everywhere and promised to look into things, see what he could find out about the man. They could work on a plan to get him out before everything went to hell after that.

Sure, just keep Katniss and Peeta alive until they are the final two. Piece of cake. Nothing to it. All too soon, their meeting ended. Effie and Haymitch had to get back to the viewing room. They could only be gone for so long without it being suspicious, so she put her wig back on and Haymitch splashed some whiskey on his suit. Before they left the house, he took her hand,

"This will end. We won't have to hide no more. We can be together, for real." Effie smiled at him.

"I know. It's just so hard waiting, wearing this awful mask." He pulled her to him, hugging her tightly for a moment.

"Not for much longer, Mia. Just keep it together. When it's done we can have our future, together." They headed back to the game center, Effie appeared to be scolding Haymitch for his 'reprehensible behavior' while meeting with new sponsors. She screeched at him, telling him to 'sober up and do your job'. As she turned her back to go up to the penthouse, he called out,

"As you wish." It was good that her back was to him, to everyone. No one could see that she almost smiled, hearing that phrase. They used it while in public, and nobody else knew that it meant. 'I love you.' She entered the living area, and took off all of her capitol affectations. Once that was done, she turned on the television, wondering if Katniss had found Peeta.

Katniss had indeed found Peeta, and Effie winced at the sight of his leg. It looked bad on the screen, and had to feel worse. She silently begged Haymitch to send him medicine. She watched the two kiss for the first time and felt her heart beat a little faster when a parachute came down. But it wasn't what she'd hoped Haymitch had sent.

Hours later, Haymitch finally got back to the penthouse. He'd been brokering deals left and right, lining up more sponsors than twelve had ever had before. Effie was on the couch still, not asleep, but really close. Her eyes were barely open, and she stared at the screen. Aware that they were being listened to, he spoke gruffly,

"Get to bed, Princess. Won't do no good having you fall asleep during a meetin'." Effie damn near jumped off of the couch. She hadn't noticed him come in at all. He walked over to her, and put a hand on her shoulder, offering the other to help her up. She took it, taking the piece of paper he'd slipped in it easily. Effie stood slowly, her muscles a bit stiff from being in one position for far too long.

"Fine, Haymitch. But don't get drunk, Peeta needs that medicine." Her tone wasn't really sharp, just sleepy. But it would do for now. She walked carefully to her room, she was really exhausted. She opened the note, which had a small key with it. The note said simply, 'Meeting house key, Finnick gave us each one.' She fell on her bed and was asleep in minutes.

Haymitch and Effie were back in the viewing center, and the mood was very hushed. They were down to three tributes, and Peeta and Katniss were alive. It was them and Cato that remained. Effie was holding her hands tight, so she wouldn't chew her nails to stubs. Her nerves were absolutely shot to pieces. And Haymitch was on edge himself. They had never in all their time working together had tributes get so close to winning.

And the crisis point had come. Peeta was held hostage by Cato. The boy with the bread held his cool, and made a target for Katniss. And then there were two. Effie and Haymitch waited for what they knew in their hearts was coming. The announcement was made, only one could win. Effie closed her eyes, she couldn't watch. Haymitch nudged her; now Katniss and Peeta were holding poisonous berries, about to deprive the capitol of a victor at all. She could have sworn her heart stopped, only to start again, when Seneca and Plutarch kept their word, and she was squealing with excitement! They had won!

Effie knew there would be fall out from this, but she had an image to maintain. She had to be the ditzy escort, who had no clue how bad this was going to be for Katniss and Peeta. But they were alive, and both coming out of that hellhole. Haymitch met her eyes, and she knew what he was worried about.

Now, they had their mockingjay.

**I thought this would be a good place to end the chapter, before getting into the victory tour. Read and review please. **


	6. Chapter 6

Back for more? Good, here's the next chapter.

Haymitch answered the door of his house with his usual,

"Whaddya want?" He looked at his visitor, and even though his face was still grumpy, there was a twinkle in his eyes. "It ain't reaping day, Trinket." Effie pretended to be annoyed, but she really wasn't. It was all part of the show,

"Manners, Mr. Abernathy! It's tour day! Now, let me in, we have a big, big, big day ahead of us." She pushed him back into the house, as she closed the door behind them. Effie took a deep breath, letting her upset show for the first time in days, since she'd heard the news. Haymitch noticed, and gently took her arm.

"What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"Seneca's dead." She stopped for minute, breathing heavily as she tried her best to keep control. While her and Seneca had only dated because it was a good cover for both of them, he'd still been a friend. A friend since childhood. Haymitch's eyes went wide, this was bad.

"How?"

"The papers said suicide, but we know better. Snow killed him, for letting Katniss and Peeta live." He pulled Effie to him, embracing her tenderly. She sniffed a few times, determined not to cry. She'd done enough of that in private before leaving.

"But, we have that tour. And you are not leaving the house in that." Haymitch rolled his eyes, but Effie had a point. Even though he didn't want to go, there would be nothing but trouble if he skipped the tour. And they didn't need it. Not with everything they had planned.

Eventually, after much aggravation, Effie managed to get everyone on board the train. The less said about that, the better. The tour went relatively well, aside from the issues in eleven, but Effie could read between the lines. She could tell that Snow was not pleased. Haymitch had told her about Snow visiting Katniss, and the thought made her shudder.

The time just dragged on between the Tour and the unveiling of Katniss's wedding dresses. Effie wasn't that eager to see them or vote on them. She had a gut feeling that the young victor would never get to wear them for real. But she had to feign excitement, for all her friends and for the public in general.

The night of the voting, Effie joined Portia at Cinna's apartment. With the two stylists, she didn't have to fake her feelings on things. And Cinna's place was not bugged, which was a relief. They watched in silence, and then came the moment they were all dreading. The quarter quell announcement. It was looming up on them, and even knowing their plans, was not a comfort.

When the little boy handed Snow the envelope, Effie closed her eyes, and felt Cinna and Portia each take one of her hands. As they realized the ramifications of the quarter quell, all three looked around in horror. Effie could only think of one thing, Haymitch could end up back in the arena. And the thought of Katniss definitely going back in was heartbreaking. She had no idea what this would do to their plans, but right at that moment, she didn't care. She stood up,

"I have to see him." Cinna and Portia got up as well.

"I know, but you can't. If you went down there right now . . . You know there'd be trouble." Cinna was right. Unfortunately, she had to stay. "Give it a few more months. Then when the reaping is closer, find an excuse." Effie nodded. It was good that she had Portia and Cinna with her right now. Or she might have gotten them all in serious trouble.

The next two months went by excruciatingly slow for Effie. She'd had no contact with Haymitch at all. Then, finally, opportunity, in the form of Finnick's giant capitol birthday bash. Haymitch came, with Katniss and Peeta in tow to celebrate. It was odd, seeing Haymitch at a party and not drinking at all. But, all he had to do was to point at his two chaperones. Peeta was keeping a really good eye on Haymitch. It took a little maneuvering, but Effie managed to steal Haymitch away for a little while.

They snuck away to a quiet room, and then, Effie was in his arms as soon as the door closed and locked behind them. Holding each other leads to gentle caresses, this ends up with Effie's wig tossed on the floor and clothes not far behind. There was no talking. Muffled moans, sighs and whimpers were the only sounds coming out of the room.

Meanwhile, Peeta had noticed that Haymitch had disappeared. A flash of annoyance crossed his face briefly, and he went to seek out the errant drunkard. He was expecting to find the mentor taking a drink on the sly, while Katniss and Peeta had been distracted by meeting the other victors who'd come for the party. As Peeta walked by a doorway, he heard Haymitch moan softly, and the soft whimpers of a woman. They were not sounds of pain, Peeta was sure of that. The house he'd grown up in was not that big, and he and his brothers had heard sounds like that from time to time.

A few minutes later, Peeta heard the door lock. He realized it would look like he was trying to eavesdrop on Haymitch and his mystery girlfriend. He ducked down a nearby hall, not wanting to be caught but incredibly curious. What he saw next was unbelievable. Effie Trinket walked out of the room, and headed back to the party. Peeta looked down at the drink he was holding. Maybe Finnick had slipped something extra in it.

Haymitch stepped out of the room a few minutes later, feeling well sated. It wouldn't be until he got home when he realized something. Something important they'd both forgotten, in the heat of the moment.

And that's chapter six. Reviews appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

_**And here's the next chapter, fair warning, here we diverge from canon, into the wild AU. **_

Cinna was concerned about Effie. She put on a good face when they were all out in public, but he could tell she wasn't sleeping very well. Of course, he knew she worried for all three of her victors, and he and Portia were well aware of the fact that Effie and Haymitch were together romantically. He told Portia the things he'd noticed, and it turned out, he wasn't the only one. Portia and Effie had been friends, real friends for years. She voiced some of the things she'd picked up on over the last few weeks. They argued briefly about which of them should ask Effie if what they suspected was true.

It was the day before the reaping for the quarter quell, when Portia, who'd lost the coin toss, asked Effie in a private moment what was wrong. The couple had invited Effie over for dinner. She pointed out the things both Portia and Cinna had noticed. The lack of appetite, clear loss of sleep, and odd emotional reactions. Then she asked the question,

"Effie, is there any chance you're pregnant?" Effie's eyes went wide. With everything going on, all the stress and worry, she'd never even realized she'd skipped her period. The insomnia and other symptoms she'd shrugged off as a result of the quell. Her nerves had her so on edge, she hadn't even thought about anything being off. She'd been so worried about Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch that things she'd normally notice right away were brushed to the back of her brain.

"Oh shit." That was all Effie said for a moment, thinking back. The last time she'd been with Haymitch, the night of Finnick's party, they hadn't used any protection. She mentally backtracked to the party, it had been roughly two months. She closed her eyes, "Maybe?" Portia took hold of one of Effie's hands.

"I bought a few tests, you should find out for sure if there's anything to worry about." Portia told Effie gently. Effie nodded, her heart stuck in her throat. She and Haymitch had talked about having kids, when the rebellion was over and they would be safe. But now? Just before they started the rebellion? The timing was so off. But, in less than a month, they'd be in thirteen. Effie took the test Portia offered her.

The next morning, Effie was up early, ready to make the trip to twelve. She was not ready to pull Katniss's name, or Peeta's or Haymitch's. She knew she had to, though. Backing out wasn't an option, not that it had ever been for her. The ride seemed to take too long, and she found herself pacing up and down the aisles. She wanted to get there and she wanted to talk to Haymitch. He had to know, and she was incredibly grateful for Portia and Cinna's support. She wished they could have come, but they had to stay in the capitol and work, get ready for the parade.

Effie pressed a hand against her stomach; she hadn't started to show yet. This was good, since Snow would obviously take some form of action if he knew. Cinna had also assured her he'd have a dress or two for her that would hide things if the quell took longer than expected. They were only anticipating having to wait for another two weeks. Then they wouldn't have to hide anything.

The ridiculously slow train finally made it to twelve, and Effie made her way to Haymitch's house. She did not look forward to telling him he was going to be a father. He had to know though, it wouldn't be right to keep something this big from him. Not after all they'd been through together. He'd been there for her so many times. Effie had to trust him now. He'd do right by both of them. When he opened the door, he looked surly, but sober. Peeta was apparently still going on with the 'no drinking' regimen.

"That time of year already. Damn." Effie slid past him, giving him one of her usual greetings for reaping day. She closed the door, looking at Haymitch seriously.

"We have to talk, Mitch." Haymitch was surprised at Effie's tone, and the fact that she hadn't just hugged him. Usually, that was the first thing they did out of the public's eye.

"What's wrong, Mia?" He hadn't forgotten the night of the party. It was still fairly vivid in his mind. And he remembered that they didn't use protection. He'd been wondering for a while if anything had come from that time.

"I . . . I'm . . ." She was so nervous, she was tongue-tied. She just couldn't get the words out. Haymitch knew what she was going to say, and let her off the hook,

"Knocked up?" Effie nodded, as her eyes started to water. Haymitch couldn't stand to see her in tears, and grabbed a relatively clean hanky before pulling her into his arms.

"S'alright, sweetheart. We'll be safe in thirteen 'fore anyone's the wiser. Who else knows?" Effie told him that it was only Cinna and Portia. Which was good. Those two could definitely keep secrets.

"Besides, this was something we both wanted, right? Not yet, but someday." He shrugged. It could be worse. At least it hadn't happened earlier, like on the victory tour. He didn't think even Cinna's genius could hide a pregnancy for that long. He held her for a few more minutes, as he felt Effie relax against him. He gave her the hanky,

"Better clean your face before anyone sees you've been cryin'. We've got a reaping to do." Effie wiped her eyes, making sure that not too much make up had smeared. She quickly fixed what need fixing and they headed out, both wishing they could hold hands.

The reaping went without a hitch, although Effie had a hell of a time keeping her composure when she read Haymitch's name on the slip of paper. She couldn't show her true feelings when Peeta volunteered to take Haymitch's place in the arena. Even with Haymitch being sober for months now, he would still likely be older and slower than other tributes in the game. Then she was startled when the new head peacekeeper told them that there was not time for the tributes to say their final goodbyes to their families before leaving.

Dinner was a subdued affair, no one felt particularly talkative. Effie waved away the wine, allegedly for Haymitch's sake, but more for the unborn child she carried. Tea was a perfectly good substitute. Alcohol was out of the question for the next several months. And it was rather too easy to pretend that it was all for Haymitch, who managed to look miserable. The high point of the meal was Katniss, when she joked about getting the mentor a wig to match Effie's. To hopefully ease the tension, Effie suggested that they watch the reapings from the other districts.

Everyone sat down to see who they'd be facing. Haymitch was not thrilled to see his friend Chaff was going back in the arena. Effie was especially struck by Cecilia, a mother with three young kids being reaped. It took a lot of effort for her not to start crying. She dabbed at her eyes, determinedly not touching her stomach. The kids were in the room, and she didn't need either Katniss or Peeta figuring things out, and then letting it slip at an inopportune moment.

After watching the other reapings, everyone went to their own rooms, at least at first. Then Haymitch joined Effie in her room, making sure to keep quiet. They didn't need to talk, it was enough just to hold each other. At least until Effie could no longer ignore the 'morning sickness' that sent her almost running to the bathroom. Her dinner made a quick reappearance, while Haymitch knelt behind her, rubbing her back and holding her hair out of the way.

"Is this normal?" Haymitch was a bit worried. He didn't know much about pregnant women or what to expect. He handed Effie a glass of water, letting her rinse the foul taste out of her mouth.

"I think so. I remember when my friend Claudia was pregnant with her first child. I don't know how long it's supposed to last or why they call it morning sickness, when mine seems to hit mostly in the evening." Effie didn't know very much about having a baby, but there were some things that seemed to be fairly common sense.

There was something about the bathrooms on the train that Effie had never realized. Most people didn't. Katniss was going to take a nice hot bath, and had just turned off the water, when she realized she could here noises coming from a nearby vent. It sounded like someone being sick. It took her a few minutes to realize that she knew who was in the other bathroom.

It was Effie. And it sounded like Haymitch was in there with her, talking to her. But the words were muffled and she didn't get most of what they were saying. This made no sense to Katniss at all. The mentor and escort bickered all the time. They couldn't stand each other. Katniss decided to forget about what she'd heard, for now. She was going to enjoy a nice hot soak and not think.

It was a rare quiet morning in the penthouse. Both tributes were with their prep teams, leaving Haymitch and Effie to themselves. They decided to forgo being inside, and go up to the roof, where they could talk in peace. In the small garden, they are not easy to observe, so no one would see when Haymitch laid very gentle hands on her abdomen, where he thinks the baby is. Their baby.

Haymitch had a meeting with Plutarch later, and made a mental note to ask him about medical facilities in thirteen. Effie had some possible sponsors to see later, they'd made inquiries into sponsoring Katniss. So they both wanted to have a little time together before things got busy. Effie asked him, a little curious,

"Do you want a boy or a girl?" Haymitch looked thoughtful. While they'd talked about having kids eventually, he hadn't really considered how many or what sex. He ran a hand over his stubble before he answered honestly,

"Dunno. Suppose it doesn't matter too much, as long as he or she's healthy. You?"

"I think a boy would be nice, to start with. But you're right, it's more important to have a healthy baby."

They'd spend all day up here, if they didn't have other things they had to do. They headed their separate ways, each looking more and more forward to being away from all of this. Away from the damned hunger games and the capitol.

The training week went well, all things told. Peeta and Katniss didn't talk much about it, but from what Haymitch said, almost all the other tributes had requested Katniss as an ally. Apparently, no one had ever really seen Katniss shoot before, and it must have been impressive. She kept on her usual capitol ditz air, until both tributes said what they did in their individual sessions with the game makers.

Peeta's painting of little Rue from eleven is bad. Not that Effie is against it; personally she's thrilled that he did it. But she pretended to be horrified, as whoever is monitoring the bugs will expect. And then Katniss told how she made an effigy of Seneca Crane, and Effie nearly loses it altogether. She can't help being over emotional, and fought hard not to burst into tears in the living area. She left the room; unfortunately Katniss noticed the tears in her eyes.

When Effie returned to the room with red eyes, they are all waiting for the scores. She sat down next to Haymitch, but not too close. Cinna squeezed Effie's shoulder, while everyone watched the screen. The other tributes earned the expected scores. Then it was the moment of truth for twelve. And Peeta and Katniss both received perfect scores. Well shit. This made things interesting, to say the least.

_**And that's a wrap for chapter 7. Thank you for your continued support. Reviews, questions etc are welcomed. **_


	8. Chapter 8

Effie walked into the penthouse, finding Haymitch and Portia sitting in front of the screen, watching the games. Cinna had not been seen since the tributes went into the arena. Both Haymitch and Portia looked up at Effie, hoping she'd heard some news. Unfortunately, Effie had heard nothing yet and shook her head. They all feared the worst, but no one voiced that opinion, out loud or on paper. They were beginning to fear the worst.

They all knew that Snow would not tolerate the rebellion Cinna had shown through Katniss's dress. The mockingjay burning through the wedding dress was a stroke of artistic genius. But the president wouldn't see it that way. Snow would not tolerate any sign of rebellion. He'd had Seneca killed for allowing two tributes to win the games the previous year. There was not much hope that Cinna had met with a kinder fate.

"So, I think I may have found some more sponsors for Katniss and Peeta." Effie tried to keep the conversation light, in spite of their worry for Cinna. "I have their information." She handed Haymitch some notes, including the people she'd mentioned. He took the papers, grumbling for the bugs that were planted. But he smiled as he muttered, laying one of his large hands on her shoulders. He looked over the papers, scanning the important information that was not about sponsors, and read the names of the interested sponsors out loud.

"Right, I'll go meet with these people." Effie called out to him,

"Don't stop off at any bars, you don't want to be late!" He grins at her, before growling,

"Ah, don't start nagging, Princess, got plenty of time." They all know that time is running out, and the tributes are about to make their move. Katniss and Peeta know absolutely nothing of this plan; it's safer for them that way. If either of them is captured, they won't be able to give the capitol any information. Between Effie, Haymitch, Portia, they have their timing set, so that no one will suspect anything. Originally, Cinna was to be with them, but as he's missing, there is nothing they can do about him for now.

Haymitch left the penthouse first, grumbling under his breath about Effie. Portia and Effie wait for another half hour before they leave to head to the viewing room. At least, that's what whoever is monitoring the room will think. They leave the building, without any trouble. It's not that far to the rendezvous point, where they will finally leave the capitol.

Katniss came back to consciousness very slowly, as she heard someone being laid on the bed next to hers and a gruff angry voice growling,

"What. The. Hell. Happened?" She recognized Haymitch barely. He was furious about something. She heard another male voice, somewhat familiar trying to placate her mentor.

"Finnick told me what his source had found out, and I wanted to let Effie know as soon as possible. I didn't think she'd take it this badly. I've never seen her faint before." Katniss slowly opened her eyes about halfway, and realized the other speaker was Plutarch Heavensbee. She was completely confused and the head game makers' next words did not clarify anything for her.

"Athius Trinket died. About five years ago, the records said it was cancer." Then she heard Finnick chime in quietly as he moved away from the bed after setting Effie down carefully,

"She turned white as . . . I don't know, and her eyes rolled back and she just collapsed."

"And you told her, just like that!?" With barely a pause for Plutarch to nod, Haymitch continued, not yelling, but hissing loudly, "You idiot, she's two months pregnant! She saw Portia get taken by the peacekeepers, and she ain't even sat down for a minute since she got on board." Haymitch stopped his irate tirade as a man dressed in a white uniform stopped by the bed.

"What happened?" The doctor asked, pulling on gloves as he spoke. Haymitch filled him in, getting the salient points across succinctly. The man nodded as he started a saline drip, and other things Katniss wasn't sure about. But she had to be dreaming, Katniss was sure about that.

"You said she's pregnant? Has she been eating and sleeping all right?" It seemed like the fight went out of Haymitch as he answered the doctor,

"Yes, about two months, maybe a little over. I know she's had trouble keeping food down, 'specially at night." The doctor thought for few minutes, as he looked at his machines.

"Her blood pressure is higher than normal, and her blood sugar is low." He pointed at Plutarch, "Get a glass of orange juice and some crackers." Then the man turned to Haymitch, "Did she hit her head on anything?" Haymitch turned to Finnick, his eyes wide; he had not even considered that until just then,

"No, I caught her before she hit anything." Haymitch breathed a sigh of relief, and the doctor continued,

"All right, I want you, Mr. Abernathy, to keep Effie calm and lying down until we get to thirteen. I gave her some glucose along with some fluids and she should wake up soon. When she's up for it, I'll give her a brief exam and an ultrasound; to check how the baby is developing." Haymitch nodded, although he knew this would be easier said than done. He sat by Effie's side, holding one of her limp hands gently.

Katniss was sure she was hallucinating, there was no way this could be real. Effie annoyed the hell out of Haymitch; he would never be so concerned about the escort. And Effie, pregnant? No, this wasn't real. She closed her eyes, hoping when she woke up; she'd be in a world that made sense.

Meanwhile, Effie had started to come back to consciousness. Her eyes opened, blinking slowly. For a minute or two she was completely confused. Haymitch smiled at her, moving some of her curls away from her face tenderly. Then she started to recall what had happened before everything had turned gray. Her father was dead. Gone, forever and she'd never even gotten to say goodbye.

Haymitch saw the realization in her eyes, and moved to lie down next to her, holding her. She needed to cry, to let out the pain. He let her cry for a little while, and eventually Plutarch returned with the juice and crackers. Plutarch set down the glass and place on the nearby tray, and backed away as Haymitch glared at him. He felt badly about Effie collapsing, he hadn't remembered that she was pregnant until Haymitch had growled at him about it earlier.

When Effie stopped crying, Haymitch used the controls on the bed, sitting them both upright, slowly. He wiped the tears from her face, really glad she'd taken her make-up off earlier. He picked up the orange juice,

"The doctor said your blood sugar was low. He said you outta drink this and eat some crackers." Effie drank almost half the glass, her throat was dry and the juice felt good going down. Whether it would stay down was yet to be seen. But Effie tried some of the crackers, eating them slowly. Haymitch stayed next to her, as he ran his fingers through her curls.

"Feelin' better now, Mia?" Effie nodded, and started to get up. Haymitch shook his head,

"Doc also said he wanted you to lie down, rest until we get to thirteen." Effie gaped at him for minute, clearly surprised by these orders. He cut off her protest before she could start, "Sweetheart, you collapsed a little while ago. You shouldn't be pushin' yourself so hard right now. And it's not just you, there's the baby to think about to. Our baby." His hand moved naturally to her belly, which was just barely starting to become rounder. It wasn't noticeable unless a person was really looking. Loose dresses would still hide the very small bump. He continued,

"He said when you feel up to it, he can do an ultrasound, see how our little one's doin'." Effie smiled at that.

"I'm ready. Do you think we can find out if it's a boy or a girl?" Haymitch thought, his eyebrows coming together,

"Prob'ly too early. Dunno, this is a first for us." Haymitch reached for the call button, and pressed it. The doctor came in, this time introducing himself as doctor Everett Mackall. He brought over a strange looking machine.

"I'm glad to see you're awake, Mrs. Abernathy. You gave your husband here a scare." Haymitch looked amused at his words, and Effie gave him a mock glare before telling the doctor politely,

"It's Trinket, we aren't married." Effie told Everett. Haymitch cut in,

"Yet."

"You haven't asked me." She told him firmly, "Now, let Dr. Mackall get started. Haymitch smiled, even as he muttered about her being bossy. That earned him a little smack on the arm. He got off the bed, to give the doctor room to work. Dr. Mackall did all the usual things first, checking her blood pressure and sugar again. This time they were much improved, and he told them. Then he gently palpated her lower abdomen, measuring the size of her uterus. He made notes, and looked over everything,

"So far, so good, let's see what the ultrasound tells us. This will be a vaginal ultrasound, and it may not be the most comfortable. Mr. Abernathy, please draw the curtains, for privacy." Haymitch closed the curtains, while the doctor set up the equipment. The doctor was a professional, and after a few brief moments of discomfort, Effie and Haymitch could hear the steady thrumming of their baby's heart beating. For a moment, all they could do was listen in awe. The two parents smiled, as Haymitch leaned over to kiss Effie on the forehead. Everett smiled as well, the couple seemed very happy, which was always good. He started to point out some of the other features that they could see on the screen.

"Unfortunately, it's too early to tell if it's a boy or girl, but everything looks okay from here. The baby is a little small for the conception date you've told me, but with the morning sickness you told me about, it's not surprising. Try to eat, maybe smaller meals but more frequently." The doctor removed the equipment, with a final reminder for Effie to rest during the trip. And then they were left alone, and the room was quiet except for the hums and beeps of the other medical devices.

Unbeknownst to Haymitch and Effie, they were not the only ones listening to the baby's heartbeat. Finnick had wandered into the room, restless and not knowing what to do. Plutarch had refused, point blank to go back for Annie and it was driving Finnick to distraction. The sound of the baby's heart beating made him think of promises he'd made Annie. Finnick swore again, he **would **keep those promises. He would keep her safe.

**All right, chapter eight. That's two updates this week. Anyways, if you are reading this, I hope you are enjoying it. Drop me a review, let me know please!**

**If I set it up correctly, I have a poll on my profile for my readers about this story. I'd love to know what you all think of my idea. **

**As to the facilities on the hovercraft, I figured, if it's big enough to hold over eight hundred people, who's to say they wouldn't have all the medical equipment, like the ultrasound? **


	9. Chapter 9

**This chapter makes this story the longest I've ever written. Woo Hoo! I'd like to thank my reviewers and readers. Please don't forget to vote in the poll!**

Haymitch looked over at Effie, who'd finally fallen asleep. He was sitting in a chair between Effie and Katniss. The only way he'd been able to get Effie to even close her eyes was to promise to make sure Katniss didn't wake up alone. He watched Finnick as the younger man walked around, unable to be still. Haymitch flagged him down, asking if Finnick would mind grabbing some coffee. Finnick seemed glad to be able to do something; the waiting was driving him crazy. Not that Haymitch could blame the man; he'd be a wreck if they'd left without Effie.

As Katniss started to stir, Haymitch took the coffee Finnick handed him. He sipped it slowly, as he watched her eyes open rapidly. Her eyes darted around the room, when she noticed Haymitch sitting next to her bed,

"Glad to see you're awake finally. We were starting to worry." Katniss looked at him, still very confused. She remembered the weird dream she'd had earlier. He picked up a glass of water with a straw, letting her get a good drink before she spoke,

"I had the strangest dream, Haymitch. And you were in it." She described what she remembered, Haymitch being so angry; Athius, whoever that was dead; Effie pregnant, and Finnick and Plutarch were involved somehow. Haymitch smiled slightly, so this wasn't exactly the first time she'd woken up.

"Hate to break it to you, kiddo, but that wasn't a dream." Haymitch motioned to the next bed, where Effie was still asleep. "It's a lot to take in but Effie and I have been together, secretly, for several years." Katniss looked up at him, half shocked, half horrified.

"So, Effie and you are having a baby?" He nodded as the very unwelcome thought of Haymitch and Effie having sex ran through her head. She repressed a shudder. She shook her head to get rid of the very unwelcome pictures in her head. "Um, congratulations?"

"Thanks, it wasn't in the plans just yet but" Haymitch stopped, not wanting to traumatize Katniss anymore. He had noticed that she looked fairly disturbed when she'd realized how Effie had ended up pregnant.

"Who's Athius? And where are we?" Haymitch sighed, this was going to be a long and not fun conversation.

"To start with, Athius Trinket was Effie's father. He died in prison, for speaking out against the games while drunk at a party. Snow used him to force Effie to become an escort. And we are on a hovercraft, bound for district thirteen." Haymitch proceeded to explain about the rebellion, how he and the others had been planning it for several years. Katniss frowned, she was having a hard time believing everything.

"And this whole time, you knew and didn't tell us?"

"Yes. I lied to protect both of you." Haymitch told her flat out. "Didn't like it, but there weren't a whole lot of options." Katniss started to get angry. Finding out that Haymitch had been lying to both her and Peeta, using them as pawns in a chess game, was a hard thing to swallow. She took a deep breath, getting ready to shout at him, when she noticed something. It should have been obvious, but she'd been through a lot in the arena and things were still fuzzy. But Haymitch was clean and sober. No signs of the shakes or any of the other things Haymitch usually had to deal with when he wasn't drunk.

"You're not drunk." Whatever Haymitch was going to say back was interrupted by Plutarch, coming in with food. The former game maker smiled at Katniss, not making eye contact with Haymitch.

"I'm glad you're awake, Katniss. I brought you something to eat. I, um also brought some for Effie."

"Just set it down on the tray, she's asleep." Haymitch told Plutarch quietly. He still was less than pleased with the way the man had broken the news of her fathers' death to Effie. But Haymitch wasn't nearly as pissed any more. Plutarch went back to do whatever he was working on, and Haymitch loosened the restraints on the young woman's arms so that she could eat.

After Katniss finished eating, she asked the one question that Haymitch was dreading. She asked about Peeta. He had to tell her the truth, even though she might hate him for it.

"The capitol got to him before we could. He's been taken prisoner." Before Katniss could do anything, the craft came to a stop. Haymitch frowned; they couldn't be at thirteen yet, they had at least another few hours to go. "Something ain't right. I'll see what's going on." He looked over at Effie, who was thankfully still asleep. "Keep an eye on her, she really needs to rest."

And Haymitch was gone before Katniss could protest. Or scream at him, which was what she really wanted to do. She sat up in the bed, looking at the peacefully sleeping woman across from her. It was weird, seeing Effie without her wig and all the make-up. Effie looked a lot younger than Katniss had always thought she was. And prettier, too.

As if she knew she was being observed, Effie woke up. She startled, looking around for Haymitch. Katniss rolled slowly out of the bed,

"Hey, we stopped for some reason. Haymitch went to figure out why and he said you should rest." Effie sighed, not surprised at all that Haymitch thought she needed a baby sitter.

"Oh, I'm fine." But Effie didn't bother trying to get out of the bed. She noticed the food sitting on the nearby tray, and realized that she was hungry. And the crackers had stayed down, thankfully. Maybe the morning sickness was over. She started to eat the stew, it was still warm. It was fairly good, if a little bland. Then Effie realized she needed to pee. She started to get up, explaining her need to use the restroom.

While Effie was relieving the pressure on her bladder, Katniss looked up to hear people come into the infirmary area. She gasped when she recognized all of them from her home. Why did they stop to pick up people from district twelve? Then she noticed some of them had been hurt. Gale looked worse for the wear. He saw Katniss and rushed over to her, embracing her.

Gale explained what had happened to twelve, how it was burned to the ground. Lily came over, along with Prim. The craft started moving again, so they were underway. Haymitch came in; looking worried when he didn't see Effie. Before he could ask Katniss,

"Effie had to go to the bathroom. I don't think she's sick." Haymitch nodded, sitting down in the chair he'd been in earlier. Effie came out, and made her way back to the bed. Haymitch stood up to help her back into the bed waving off her protests.

"Are you going to treat me like an invalid through the whole pregnancy, Mitch?" To which Haymitch simply smiled at her, as he made her as comfortable as he could. They didn't see Gale, Lily and Prim's reactions to her statement. Katniss had only found out a little bit ago, but the news was a stunner to Gale and Prim.

Gale remembered the time he'd seen Effie and Haymitch away from the public's eye. How upset she'd been over the reaping, she'd actually thrown up. He spoke up,

"I'm glad to hear you won't have to be reaping anymore. And congrats, I guess." Katniss looked at him strangely, he'd never told her about what he'd seen a year ago. There had been so much else going on, it hadn't really been a top priority. When Gale told them what he'd seen and heard, all three Everdeens were completely silent. Lily kept quiet, she'd met a different Effie several years ago, but that was not her story to tell.

Primrose smiled at Effie, clearly excited for the woman. Lily was happy for Effie as well, it seemed that this time, this pregnancy was welcomed, if not planned.

"How far along are you? You aren't showing yet." Effie smiled at Lily's quiet question,

"About two months, we were planning to have kids eventually." Haymitch sat down on the bed next to her. He started to massage her neck, encouraging her to lie back down. When he noticed the others were staring at him like he'd lost his mind. He looked at Lily,

"Doctor's orders, she ain't been sleepin' or eatin' that well. Fainted earlier when she got some bad news." Lily nodded and left the couple and Katniss, taking a reluctant Prim and Gale with her. "Katniss, you should get some rest too."

"I'm not really tired, Haymitch." Effie's argument was weakened when she yawned in the middle of it. Katniss looked like she wanted to protest, but by some miracle, laid down.

"S'only for a little longer, Mia. I'll try and sleep too, okay?" Haymitch was greatly relieved when Effie reluctantly acquiesced, lying down and closing her eyes. He did the same, falling asleep rather easily. He always slept better with Effie, and she was less troubled with night terrors. They stayed out for the rest of the ride to thirteen.

**Read and Review, please!**


	10. Chapter 10

The morning sickness was not over; as Effie discovered a few days after they had arrived in district thirteen. She had woken up in the bed she and Haymitch shared in their small apartment. At first, she'd been a bit disoriented, not recognizing the room. It was definitely not the penthouse they shared every year. A few seconds later, she remembered moving in after they left the capitol.

Effie sat up, feeling very nauseated and hurried into the bathroom. Haymitch was asleep until the sounds of her retching woke him up. He shuffled into the small room, and knelt next to her. He pulled her hair out of her face; this had become a fairly routine occurrence. He made a mental note to ask one of the doctors, or Lily how long this nausea was supposed to last. When Effie had finished, he handed her a glass of water.

They showered together, before getting into the lovely gray jumpsuits that are the norm in their new home. Effie looked at her schedule; they had her getting breakfast in five minutes, and then having a checkup in the hospital. Haymitch's morning was the same, luckily. Their afternoons are separate, though. Haymitch was going to be in command for the rest of the day, trying to figure out how to get Katniss to agree to be the mockingjay. Effie did not envy Haymitch his position. Katniss was still very angry with him for leaving Peeta behind.

Effie sat next to Haymitch during breakfast, which was not appealing. But she choked it down anyway, knowing the nutrition was important for their baby. For now at least it felt like it might stay down. She hoped it will. As did Haymitch, he hated seeing her get sick so much.

Before the meal is over, they are joined by Gale, his family and Madge Undersee, the mayor of twelve's daughter. Madge had been lucky enough to be watching with Gale, when twelve was firebombed. She was the only survivor in her family. So many people in twelve were dead, with no chance to get out. The group made amiable chit chat, before Effie and Haymitch needed to leave for her appointment.

Effie lay on the bed in the infirmary, waiting for Dr. Mackall to come in. Haymitch sat in the chair next to her, holding her hand. They were not kept waiting for too long, as the people in thirteen were nothing if not efficient. The doctor came in, looking at Effie's chart,

"Good to see you again, Miss Trinket. According to your records, you haven't been gaining weight. The nausea is not improving?" It was more of a statement than a question,

"I woke up this morning and threw up." Everett nodded, he was not unfamiliar with morning sickness. Even though thirteen had had a low birthrate since the epidemic, there was still an occasional pregnancy to keep all the doctors up to speed on obstetrical procedures.

"I'm putting in your schedule extra meal times, you need to be gaining weight. Hopefully, if you eat smaller meals and snacks during the day, you'll be able to keep food down." Everett fiddled with a machine for a few moments. When he was finished, Lily knocked on the door, and entered with crackers and juice. Effie was a little reluctant, but she thanked Lily and tried to eat the crackers and drink the juice. Her stomach accepted the snack, for the time being. Dr. Everett had Effie reprint her daily schedule on her arm, and the new changes showed up.

Haymitch looked at his arm, and then the clock. Shit. He was going to be late for his meeting. He kissed Effie,

"Sorry, sweetheart, I've gotta go." And he left, heading off to another frustrating and utterly unproductive meeting. Effie got dressed, and checked her new schedule. She was to be helping Coin with paperwork until her next meal break in a few hours. She went down a few floors to the office, and started sorting paperwork. It was not exciting work, but it was something Effie excelled at.

For the next several weeks, Haymitch and Effie started a routine. Their days were filled with work, but the nights belonged to them. They were able to eat meals together, and were able to hold hands when they weren't busy with other things. During reflection, they'd spend the time comparing notes and cuddling; Effie was pleased with how her job was going. She was able to sit down, and President Coin seemed happy with her work. In fact, Coin had mentioned once that sometimes, she almost forgot that Effie was from the capitol. Which felt a little creepy, in Effie's mind.

Haymitch was not as lucky. Katniss had no inclination to be their mockingjay, and he had no idea how to make her understand how important it was. Effie didn't mention that part of the problem was how alike he and Katniss were. That path would lead to arguing, and she didn't want to start a fight.

The morning sickness finally went away, and Effie began to show more. She'd gained weight, and was feeling better. Haymitch started to give Effie a massage, beginning at her neck and working his way down from there. He kissed her neck as his hands moved down to her shoulders. Effie moaned and leaned back against him, her hormones were going crazy.

According to Lily, it was very normal for a woman entering her second trimester to have an increased sex drive. Effie had not wanted to ask Dr. Mackall about that particular issue. Haymitch was not complaining about it, he was enjoying her increased libido. And the whole not having to hide that they are together any more added to the pleasure for both of them. They shed their coveralls, and Effie leaned in to kiss Haymitch deeply. His hands moved to unhook her bra, as she reached to push down his boxers.

They were a bit late to dinner that night. No one said anything, but Gale, Katniss and Madge looked amused when the couple sat down at the table. Lily and Hazelle just smiled, they remembered their own pregnancies well enough to know exactly why Haymitch and Effie were late. And why Effie was glowing. Not just the 'pregnant woman glow' either. Haymitch looked at Katniss with a raised eyebrow, almost daring her to comment.

"So, Katniss, I talked to Plutarch, and he's agreed to let you go to twelve. There's only one catch, I have to go with you." Haymitch didn't expect much argument but it wouldn't have surprised him if she'd objected to him going along. And Katniss was obstinate at times as Effie, Haymitch, Lily, Prim, and just about anyone who knew her could attest. There were a few things he wanted to pick up from his house, which according to what they'd seen, was untouched by the bombs. One item in particular was a going to be a surprise for Effie. If he could remember where he'd hidden it. To his great relief Katniss agreed quietly. Of course, that didn't mean it would all be so easy, but Haymitch could hope.

They got back from what remained of district twelve just before reflection the next day. That was perfect, since that was what Haymitch and Effie called 'our' time. Haymitch had enough time for a quick shower, and time to tell Effie about his time in twelve. His house had been just as he'd left it and he'd found what he was looking for easily. He told Effie about Katniss, bringing home Prim's cat, Buttercup. And even though he wanted more time alone with Effie, he needed to be on time for dinner tonight.

When they reached the cafeteria, arm in arm, Haymitch waited until they were at the front of the line. Then he stopped, ignoring complaints from the people behind them. He got down on one knee and pulled the one thing he'd gone back for from his pocket. It was his mother's wedding ring, the only jewelry she'd owned.

He opened his mouth, the proposal he'd thought through for several days now had fled from his mind. He'd had it all planned out, how much he loved Effie, their child. How he wanted to be with her, only her for the rest of his life. But all that came out was a strangled sounding,

"Marry me?"

**And here we are with chapter 10. I hope everyone enjoyed it. If you are looking for a more erotic version of this chapter, I will have that uploaded to AO3. Cheers!**


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